FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT DARREN HAYDAR - PAGE 4

Spencer Machacek didn't score three goals Tuesday night against Lake Erie, but he still earned a hat trick of sorts — the Gordie Howe kind. Machacek scored two goals, picked up an assist and won a first-period fight as the Wolves topped Lake Erie 6-3 before a crowd of 3,727 at Allstate Arena. Nigel Dawes added two goals and an assist and Jared Ross had two assists for the Wolves, who won their third consecutive game — and second in three nights over the Monsters. Machacek, whose nine goals are tied with Darren Haydar for the team lead, had his feat completed in the game's first 30 minutes.

Shoot the puck. It's a simple directive, but one the Wolves seem hesitant to follow at times. Rather than putting the puck on net as often as possible, coach Craig MacTavish said the Wolves are waiting for the perfect play. That cost the Wolves against Abbotsford in a 3-1 loss Sunday before a crowd of 4,224 at Allstate Arena. It was the second time in three nights the Heat beat the Wolves, who lost for the fourth straight time and the 5th time in seven games since a season-high five-game winning streak.

What started as an impressive homestand ended with a thud for the Wolves. They won their first four games in the stretch but dropped the final two, including a 4-3 decision Wednesday night to the Texas Stars before a crowd of 3,032 at Allstate Arena. A three-goal second period helped the Stars end a two-game losing streak and improve to 7-1-1-0 all-time at Allstate. Nathan Longpre, Jordan Schroeder and Mike Duco scored for the Wolves, who led 2-1 early in the second period.

The Wolves' shootout woes aren't too difficult to figure out. They aren't scoring enough goals and they are giving up too many. Despite an early two-goal lead, the Wolves fell 3-2 to Abbotsford in a shootout Friday night before a crowd of 3,614 at Allstate Arena. The Wolves, who were outscored 2-1 in the shootout, fell to 0-3 on the season in shootouts. They have been outscored 8-3 in them. "Sometimes in shootouts you over-analyze things," said Mark Mancari, who scored the Wolves' lone shootout goal.

After six consecutive one-goal losses to the San Antonio Rampage this year, the Wolves finally got one of their own. And it saved their season - for at least one more game. The Wolves built a two-goal lead early Tuesday night and held on for a 3-2 victory over the Rampage before a crowd of 2,399 at Allstate Arena. The triumph kept the Midwest Division-champion Wolves from elimination in the best-of-five opening-round Calder Cup playoff series. "We knew we needed to come out and play hard in the first period, just to show to each other that we have no quit," said Darren Haydar, who scored twice.

Jordan Schroeder knows his role with the Wolves is to produce points, and for the last dozen games that's exactly what the second-year pro has done. Schroeder scored a shorthanded goal late in the third period Tuesday to lift the Wolves to a 2-1 victory over Houston before a school-day crowd of 9,231 at Allstate Arena. Schroeder now has 12 points (six goals, six assists) over his last 12 games. "You can say points don't always matter, but sometimes for players they do," said Schroeder, the Canucks' first-round draft pick in 2009.

Sometimes even experience can't prevent mental lapses. Despite having their most seasoned line on the ice, the Wolves gave up the winning goal only 24 seconds after tying the game Saturday night in a 3-2 loss to Abbotsford before a crowd of 10,833 at Allstate Arena. Paul Byron scored with 7 minutes, 42 seconds remaining as the Heat victimized the veteran line of Brett Sterling, Andrew Ebbett and Darren Haydar. All five Heat players touched the puck leading up to Byron's goal, which sent the Wolves to their third consecutive loss.

The Sports Xchange San Antonio Rampage 4, Chicago Wolves 3 SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- San Antonio's power-play prowess has positioned the Rampage within one win of pulling the plug on the Chicago Wolves' season. After winning Game 1 on Thursday night with a power-play goal in overtime, San Antonio scored on its first three man-advantage chances during Game 2 of their best-of-five Western Conference Quarterfinals and held on for a 4-3 victory Saturday night at AT&T Center.

Matt Climie is a battler. He illustrated that pretty effectively Saturday night in the Wolves' 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Admirals. One night after being pulled in the first period, Climie responded with his best performance in almost three weeks, a 31-save effort before a crowd of 8,502 at Allstate Arena. "I talked with coach (Craig) MacTavish before the game, and he said my game is about battling and competing," said Climie, who added an assist in his first home victory in three starts.